


fish person

by vonseal



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Arcades, Fluff, M/M, Romance, date, minhyuk is super determined, sanha is just a big baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 06:55:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13782156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vonseal/pseuds/vonseal
Summary: minhyuk is determined to win the giant plush seal for his boyfriend, even if it takes everything he's got.





	fish person

**Author's Note:**

> YALL THIS WAS A TUMBLR PROMPT im really trying to get back on track with my chaptered fics but ive been exhausted this entire week so i do apologize :/
> 
> ( i didnt edit this bc i suck )

There was a new arcade that had opened up in town. Minhyuk knew everything about it. He knew the games it had, he knew the color of the carpet, he knew the exact dimensions of the building. Bin called him smart. Myungjun called him whipped.

Myungjun was correct.

If it had been up to Minhyuk, he never would have stepped foot inside of the arcade. They were loud, he had always complained, with lots of children and exhausted parents and games that were covered in germs and designed to make you lose in order to steal all of your money. It was not the sort of environment that Minhyuk would willingly visit.

However, he _would_ willingly please his boyfriend, and his boyfriend adored everything about the arcade.

Minhyuk couldn't wrap his mind around it; he didn't understand how it would be fun for anyone involved, especially not some over-zealous man-child. But Sanha told him that he was just _not thinking hard enough about the appeal of an arcade_ and _too caught up in the modern world, with all of its technologies and nuances, to fully comprehend how amazing arcades are_.

Regardless, Sanha liked it. Sanha _loved_ it. Even if Minhyuk didn't _get_ it, even if he lingered awkwardly around while his boyfriend yelled at arcade machines, even if he was always having to run and exchange bills for coins, Minhyuk would support Sanha's infatuation with the arcade world.

Sanha always tried to get him to play some of the games. Sometimes, Minhyuk would indulge him in a multiplayer shoot-em-up, but it always ended with Minhyuk dying far too early and Sanha carrying the entire game by himself, beating his own high score by hundreds of points.

“Wow,” Sanha would always whistle after looking at Minhyuk's measly score. “You're terrible at this, Hyuk.”

Minhyuk hated being bad at things, even at stupid _games_ , but he tried not to let it affect him too much. After all, in the long run, games were rather useless as a skill.

(Not that he would _ever_ tell that to Sanha, heavens no.)

It wasn't until Sanha noticed The Seal that Minhyuk decided he needed to be good at games.

The Seal (as called by Minhyuk; Sanha nicknamed it Fish Person) stood at least four feet tall with large, round eyes and blush on its cheeks. It was pure white, in such pristine condition despite being at an arcade, of all places, and it had arrived in a giant plastic bag. No one else inside the arcade had stopped to ogle at its arrival as Sanha had. Sanha actually lost a game for once the moment The Seal entered the premises, carried by two grumbling employees. Sanha would later claim that he knew it was _destiny_ when The Seal nearly fell and the employees holding it had to stop for a second or two to reposition the plushie on their shoulders and, in doing so, made it face Sanha.

“Hyuk,” Sanha whispered, tugging on Minhyuk's sleeve. “It's a Fish Person.”

Minhyuk was bored, and after losing everything _but_ the basketball game, he was quite ready to return home. He only offered The Seal a quick glance before rolling his eyes. “It's a giant seal,” he said. “What's so good about that?”

“It's _cute!_ ” Sanha whined. “Minhyuk, look how cute it is! Oh my god, it's the cutest thing _ever!_ ” Minhyuk looked over at his boyfriend, at his longing gaze and tight lips, and blinked when Sanha murmured, “Minhyuk, I really want it.”

It was three thousand tickets, Minhyuk learned after inquiring with one of the employees. They all had to be earned within a day, too, in order to ensure no one cheated and acquired tickets from elsewhere.

Minhyuk and Sanha instantly had counted their tickets out on the counter, and the employee sighed. “Two hundred and forty-one,” the girl commented, “so, um, maybe you can get one of the smaller plushies, instead.” She pointed at the glass cage behind the counter, apparently missing Sanha's look of anguish. “No seals in here, but we do have cute bears, and frogs, and also tigers-”

“I want the Fish Person,” Sanha exclaimed. “I want it more than _anything_. Can we buy it? I'll even pay over a hundred-”

“Tickets only. Sorry.” The girl gave a non-apologetic shrug, and, looking quite sullen, Sanha retreated from the counter.

Minhyuk tried to cheer his boyfriend up, patting and rubbing at his back. “Don't worry, Sanha,” Minhyuk assured him softly. “We'll get something else cool. And maybe we can go online and find something like that for a good price.”

Sanha was full of boundless optimism, passion for all that he did, excitement for the future. However, in this case, all he could do was sigh before looking at Minhyuk. His eyes were wide and innocent, a childish desire evident in his gaze. That, combined with his ever-pouty lips, made Minhyuk's heart race.

His boyfriend was just so cute.

“I want _that_ one,” Sanha whispered. “That's all I want.”

Minhyuk, who cooked dinner twice a week for Sanha because _it was all he wanted_ , who constantly lost at arcade games with Sanha because _it was all he wanted_ , who bought Sanha an infinite number of scarves and blankets because _it was all he wanted_ , realized that he would do anything for Sanha. Even if it involved somehow winning three thousand tickets in one day.

(Myungjun definitely was right – he was whipped.)

And so Minhyuk, with steely determination plastered onto his face, turned to the nearest game and stuck in some quarters. Sanha watched him, curious as to his intentions, but before he could ask anything, Minhyuk said, “I'm winning you that damn Fish Person if it's the last thing I do.”

His boyfriend cheered and hugged him from behind, praising his name, kissing his cheek, and generally making Minhyuk _certain_ that he would win three thousand tickets to get Sanha his beloved seal.

But the world conspired against him. Or, rather, his terrible gaming skills conspired against him. Despite his drive, his resolve to win Sanha his seal, nothing he did came close to earning them enough tickets. He couldn't hit the buttons fast enough, or he made stupid decisions, or he simply forgot that Pac-Man would die if he touched a ghost. Sanha watched on, all the while, breathing heavy sighs of frustration whenever the tickets would dispense only a handful of what they truly needed.

By the end of the third hour, both of them were tired and exhausted and defeated.

Minhyuk leaned against a machine after his fourth attempt to win, watching as the dispenser gave them seven tickets. “How many does this put as at now?” he asked, voice quiet.

“Well, with my two hundred and forty-one, and your fifty-eight, that puts as at...um...”

(Sanha paused, turning on the calculator to his phone and whispering the numbers as he keyed them in.)

“Two hundred and ninety-nine.”

Minhyuk swore, running his fingers through his hair. It wasn't even at three hundred yet, and he had already spent nearly all of his money. He just wanted to win that stupid seal for Sanha; he wanted his boyfriend to get everything he wanted, and he couldn't even do _that_. He couldn't win at arcade games designed for children to get Sanha a toy equally designed for children.

As if sensing his frustrations, Sanha leaned over to kiss him again, chastely and hurriedly. “I'm hungry, Hyuk.”

Minhyuk shook his head. “We'll win you The Seal.”

“I don't need my Fish Person right now. I need food.”

“I promised myself I wouldn't leave here until I won you The Seal.”

Sanha pouted and nuzzled his nose into Minhyuk's cheek. “I want a hamburger,” he whined. “A cheap hamburger with tons of ketchup and a side of fries.”

Minhyuk wanted to shake Sanha off, to keep going, but he couldn't remove Sanha's clingy body when his boyfriend was _so cute_. “Sanha, I _really_ want to stay and win this for you.”

“How about,” Sanha started, stepping back (much to Minhyuk's displeasure), “you go grab the food and come back here, and after we eat, you can try again. Okay?”

Minhyuk knew that he would lose his steam if he left. He was already sick of looking at games, and if he was exposed to the beauties and wonders of the outside world, of what he _could_ be doing instead of cooping himself up in a building, trying to win an over-sized seal for his over-sized child of a boyfriend, then he knew he wouldn't want to keep playing.

But Sanha was hungry. Sanha _looked_ hungry. Sanha also looked pitiful, his round eyes wide and hands wrapped around his tummy. If Sanha was hungry, if food was the most important thing at the moment, then Minhyuk would ensure Sanha's health.

“Alright,” he agreed, and Sanha grinned. “But once I'm back, I'm definitely going to win this for you, okay?”

Sanha gave him a thumbs-up, announcing, “Alright, Hyuk!” before sending Minhyuk on his way (with the little cash he had left over).

Minhyuk tried not to take his time, though the walk to Sanha's favorite fast food joint was longer than he expected, and since it was a Saturday afternoon, the _line_ was longer than he expected. He was able to devise several plans to get more tickets, though they became more outlandish the longer he waited (and he decided _not_ to break inside any of the machines and steal the tickets available). He would have to figure out how to properly win all of the games, multiple times, before the arcade closed later in the evening. Perhaps he could even pay off a skilled arcade visitor to win the tickets for him. Many people played for fun, anyway, not for prizes.

He finally received his food, and after deciding to coax someone into the ticket-winner position, he felt extra optimistic about winning The Seal for his amazing boyfriend.

There was just _one_ issue with his plan, though, and he realized it the moment he stepped into the arcade.

_Sanha_ was a skilled arcade visitor, and _Sanha_ could easily win the extra two-thousand-some tickets needed for The Seal.

(Minhyuk sulked as they rode the bus home, The Seal nestled on a seat by itself as they stood by watching over it. Sanha had apologized, mentioning that he _knew_ it was Minhyuk's self-proclaimed task, but he overheard other kids talking about winning the prize and he needed to quickly take action.

Minhyuk forgave him instantly – it meant that he didn't have to keep playing those stupid games. However, he acted still like he was mad, pouting even when they finally dragged The Seal through the front door and displayed it on one of their living room chairs. He acted frustrated, irritated, sullen, until Sanha wrapped him up in his arms, kissed his lips, and whispered, “After I won my last game, I realized the exact amount I needed for Fish Person was the exact amount _you_ had earned. You were a lifesaver.”

Minhyuk knew Sanha was just trying to make him feel better, trying to erase some of the guilt Minhyuk felt at not winning The Seal himself. He _knew_ it was probably all a ruse, but as Sanha kissed him again, Minhyuk decided that he would allow himself to be the lifesaver in this situation.

Besides, even if Minhyuk sucked at games, he was good at loving Yoon Sanha.)

 

**Author's Note:**

> hopefully i can write a lot of one of my other fics this weekend - after my busy busy busy day tomorrow, maybe i'll have time. idk ;A;
> 
> (happy early birthday to rocky!!!)
> 
> come find me [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com)!


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